Keynote Speaker

Keynote Speaker

Glen R. Murray

Brief Biography

Glen leads strategy and innovation as strategic advisor with Emerge Knowledge the North American leader in circular economy information technology.He was the executive director of the Pembina Institute; Canada’s leading energy think tank where he led the restructuring of the organization into a stronger national voice with enhanced fund raising and greater capacity.

Glen was an Ontario cabinet minister, and oversaw several portfolios, including transportation; training, colleges, and universities; research and innovation, and most recently, environment and climate change. In his role as environment minister, Glen initiated and oversaw the implementation of Ontario’s ground breaking zero waste and circular economy act that introduced extended producer responsibility to Ontario. He led the development and implementation of Ontario’s cap-and-trade system, and played a foundational role in the creation of the Quebec-Ontario-California carbon market.

Glen has held a number of leadership roles, including serving as mayor of Winnipeg from 1998-2004, and was chair of the Big City Mayors’ Caucus. During his time as mayor, he led the successful fight to transfer the five cents/litre federal gas tax to municipalities and undertook a major expansion of Winnipeg’s recycling and resource recovery programs.

He also served as chair of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, under Prime Ministers Harper and Martin. Glen was also president and CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute.

Glen started one of Winnipeg’s first environmental small business in the 1980s. He and some friends built Envirofit a company that helped other small businesses reduce energy and material consumption and help them shift to recovered resources.

Glen started his career in activism as a founding member of the Canadian AIDS Society, and helped establish the Village Clinic in Winnipeg, a centre for AIDS prevention and care. He has worked internationally, helping establish the World Health AIDS Service Organization’s working group.

When he’s not in the office (or baking cookies to bring into the office), Glen lives on his bike.